Spotify Discoveries / January

If any of you (like me) have a Spotify account, you know one of the things they do a lot of these days is curate playlists. The one that I’ve been subscribed to for a while now is Discover Weekly, something they describe as “your weekly mixtape of fresh music”. It’s sometimes a bit hit and miss, showing me songs I listen to regularly, however there’s always a couple of hidden gems that are new/I’ve missed. Hence this new idea for a blog feature, and what’s a better time than the first Monday of the year?

Here are my favourites from this week’s selection:

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Please Eloise / Flyte

I’m a sucker for funky bass-lines and riffs, and Flyte’s ‘Please Eloise’ ticks these boxes effortlessly. With a chorus that’ll be stuck in your head and keep your feet tapping for hours, this is one of my favourites off my Discover Weekly. It exudes happiness, a track to help remain upbeat and positive at the start of a new year.

Coupling ethereal vocals with synth beats, Shannon Saunders is an artist that stops you in your tracks and draws you in. Having seen her support Saint Raymond on tour last year, it’s evident she’s a cracking live act and ‘Back Around’ is a track that, although not showcasing her full potential, gives you a taste of her indie pop tinged with keyboard dance. I’d recommend arguably her most popular song so far, ‘Sheets’, to really get a taste of Saunders.

Bringing a bit of honky-tonk and soul to country, Royce Wood Junior is a different take on ‘easy listening’. ‘Clanky Love’ is smooth and makes you want to click along within seconds. It’s hard to pinpoint who it is he emulates exactly, which I suppose is the beauty, however I disagree with YouTube comments comparing his voice to John Mayer’s; Royce Wood Junior’s voice is a new spin on soulful and it’s refreshing.

A track that’s appeared on Huw Stephen’s ‘Best of BBC Music Introducing’, ‘Sandwiches’ is an acoustic folk track with husky vocals that builds to a wonderful crescendo, complete with rousing drumbeats and a muted horn solo. The refrain of ‘all my hope / and all my hope’ echoes and leaves you wanting more. This track reminds me a little of Bon Iver and Damien Rice, aka me being totally in love with it.

A great example of soft indie rock on this playlist, Marrow’s ‘She Chose You’ includes a catchy chorus, layered backing vocals and isn’t afraid to showcase the band’s vast range of influences (which according to their Facebook profile include the likes of David Bowie, Grizzly Bear and Talking Heads).

I’ve also put the whole of my Discover Weekly playlist below so you can listen to the rest of it. Includes tracks from the likes of Louis Berry, Fatherson, Bellevue Days, Albert Hammond Jr., Rudimental and Miguel:

Disclaimer: I’m not writing this as if it’s a ‘new music’ post, discovering ‘new’ songs. This is merely a post discovering songs I may have missed/never been exposed to before.